Cologne Indie Travel Guide

Cologne (AKA Köln in German) is the fourth largest city in Germany but
it isn’t an obvious choice of a city in which to anchor your German holiday.
The city of about a million inhabitants is located on the Rhein River and is
a center of German media and business, and is also the country’s gay capital.
It’s a great place to stop for a couple of days if you are on a Eurail
Pass or otherwise traveling around this part of Europe and there are some
very distinctive things in this city.

What To Do

The skyline is dominated by the enormous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) and
it’s a must-see for anyone stopping in town for even a couple hours or more.
The monstrous Gothic structure is one of the largest and finest cathedrals in
all of Europe and a walk up the 500+ stairs to the top is an unforgettable (if
exhausting) experience, so bring comfortable shoes. The Museum Ludwig is an acclaimed
modern art museum near the cathedral and is worth a look.

The streets of the historic old town near the cathedral are also worth checking
out. There is often something interesting and temporary going on with the Christmas
Market being an annual highlight. Cologne has a unique type of lager beer that
is popular only in this region. Unlike Munich, where full liter mugs are the norm,
the Kölsch beer is served in very civilized glasses that are only .2 of a
liter each. This is done so the beer never gets too warm and the waiters will
keep bringing new ones every time they see an empty glass so this adds up to an
interesting experience in getting drunk.

Getting There

You can fly into
Cologne Bonn Airport (code: CGN), which handles both domestic and international
flights including many from the new low cost carriers, but you should also research
prices into nearby Dusseldorf
International Airport (code: DUS) as it handles more long haul flights and
can often be cheaper. A train from Dusseldorf Airport into Cologne’s city
center takes just 40 minutes. The Cologne Airport is on the S-Bahn local train
line and is only a 15-minute ride into the city center.

Where To Stay

Cologne has a compact center for such a major city and there are loads of
hostels
and hotels
in Cologne from which to choose. There are quite a few reasonably priced
places near the train station, which is a short walk from everything else in
the center. The better places can be booked far in advance so plan ahead.